National Gay Teen Suicide Awareness Day - October 20th

From our great friends at One Orlando...Wednesday, October 20th, has been designated Gay Teen Suicide Awareness Day - there is a national call out to wear purple that day to remember - and educate.  Please join with people all across the nation to wear purple in honor of the recent gay suicides. Many of them suffered from homophobic abuse in their schools or in their homes. We want to take a stand to say that we will not tolerate this. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that's exactly what we'd like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please wear purple on October 20th to remember all the lives of LGBTQ youth that have been lost due to homophobia. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools.

The LGBT Youth Candlelight Vigil will take place October 20th, at Lake Eola beginning at 7:00pm.  For more information:

LGBT Youth Candlelight Vigil

The UCF Vigil and Call-to-Action will take place the following evening, October 21st, beginning at 8:00pm at UCF's Reflection Pond.  The event is sponsored by the Delta Lambda Phi Colony at UCF, Equal, and Knight Allies.

A Letter from President Hitt to the UCF Community

As most of you know, our nation was rocked with the suicide deaths of six young gay men who took their own lives because of bullying.  All of these deaths, which occurred in less than a month's time frame created for many a sense of loss or a remembrance of bullying in their lives.  Two of the young men who died were students on college campuses.

President Hitt responded with a letter to the UCF community regarding the death of one of those young men, Mr. Tyler Clemente, and to the issue of bullying.  The reactions to Dr. Hitt's letter have been as varied as the students, faculty, and staff who make up the community.

Many of you have posted your comments on facebook.  Let's put them here so we can talk about your comments in a place of anonymity.  Following the statement released by the President, I will post some of the comments presently sent to me by students, faculty, and staff.  Please add yours!!

10/01/10

Submitted by: Sandra Cherepow
Submitted for: John C. Hitt, President
Subject: Message from UCF President John C. Hitt

The tragic death of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi has shocked
millions of people around the country. On behalf of the entire UCF family, I
send our heartfelt sympathies to his family, his friends and the Rutgers
community.

Though Tylers death focuses attention on the challenges faced by members of the
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, bullying and harassment
know few bounds. Tylers senseless death is a reminder that we must treat
everyone with dignity and respect.

At UCF, we are committed to providing students as well as faculty and staff
members an inclusive and accepting environment, free from the type of
reprehensible conduct alleged in Tylers death.

In fact, inclusivity and diversity have been one of our universitys five goals
since I came to UCF in 1992. Inclusivity and diversity were important then, and
they are equally important today.

Thanks to the resources available at UCF, there are many opportunities for
students, staff members and faculty members to feel welcome or to find help.
For example:

* The UCF Counseling Center offers a range of services, and I encourage anyone
who needs its assistance to call 407-823-2811 or e-mail councntr@mail.ucf.edu.

* The trained professionals at the UCF Police Department are available to
investigate any alleged criminal conduct of bullying or harassment.

* University organizations such as ALLIES and Equal provide acceptance, a safe
haven, a listening ear and support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
persons, and to those exploring their sexual identity. More information can be
found at: http://counseling.sdes.ucf.edu/?id=diversity_allies and
http://www.equalucf.org/eq/node/124

The considerable resources the university devotes to these issues are in
addition to those available elsewhere in Central Florida, including support
groups, religious organizations, community programs and more.

Finally, one of the core values of the UCF Creed is Community, which charges us
to promote an open and supportive campus environment by respecting the rights
and contributions of every individual.

Accordingly, we will continue the important work of making UCF a welcoming and
compassionate university where bullying, harassment and intimidation are
unacceptable.
The following are some of the comments:

"It's finally great seeing our UCF President care about our GLBT students"
"I don't understand why he sent it out.  This didn't happen on our campus."
"Did anyone proof this before they sent it out?  It looks really bad coming from the President's office."
"I think it's a great start.  I really appreciate him calling that out."
"The freakin' website for Equal isn't even right.  There goes your credibility, John!"
"People need to know this stuff goes on all the time.  Thanks!"
"Let's see.  My first two choices are to 1) go to the counseling center because I might be sick, and 2) go to the ucf police department because they might treat me like a criminal.  Not much of a choice."
"Hitt lost his credibility when it got to the line about the "professionally trained police officers."
"We have to do something about this problem of bullying, especially our gay kids. No one deserves to die so young. Thank you for putting it out there."
"It's about the most unfeeling statement I've ever read.  Did he really write this?"

Do I Dare Disturb the Universe - If not me, then who, if not now, when?

This is the second year I've had the pleasure of presenting to the Burnett Honor's College as a part of their Symposium series.  It is indeed an honor to share space with amazingly talented young people.  Each time I am asked to speak, it is a serious and contemplative process in what should be shared.  I've listened to them speak about how "boring, uninspiring, tired, and unrelatable" they find these sessions.

The pressure is on to not commit the sins of those who've come before me.  The challenge is to be relevant, relatable, righteous, and real!  To that end, I chose a line from a work by T.S. Eliot; "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?"

Those words are printed BOLDLY on my bathroom mirror as well as at both my desks.  It is both my mantra and commandment.  It defines my role in the institution where I'm employed and outlines the expectation of a society that still struggles to find a place of value for all its citizens.

With topic in hand or at least in my head and in the presence of brilliance and greatness..."we" began the process of learning and unlearning in order to answer the question, "Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?"  This blog is intended to capture the successes, outline the challenges, and encourage those committed to building communities of justice by pushing and questioning and recognizing change never happens until the first person takes that first action to declare, "This is not fair!  This is not right! This is not just!"

Let's use the space to create and encourage for fairness.  Let's discuss how community begins to be experienced in a place that values the contributions of everyone; not just the privileged few!  Let's say, "If not me, then who and if not now, when?"

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice! (mlk, jr.).

Let's go...mf